The Time on the Clock
by lettingyourheartwin
Summary: Set after WITW. Oneshot. Temperance POV, set in the hospital.


Disclaimer: pretty sure if I owned them. I would not be writing on here!

I wrote this for my creative writing class.

I used the song What about now? By Daughtry

Hope you enjoy it!

The Time on the Clock

**Shadows fill an empty heart As love is fading,  
****From all the things that we are But are not saying.  
Can we see beyond the scars And make it to the dawn?**

She slumped in the hard chair, it was beginning to send charges of pain through her back. Her blood soaked hands rested on her forehead and her elbows were connected to her knees. One hour, twenty minutes, and 36...now 37 seconds had passed since he was escorted into the surgery area of the wasn't stupid, for she knew that an injury such as the one he had would be very damaging. He wouldn't survive, she was sure of it. So why was she still sitting here? Why was she waiting? Because some glimmer of hope that the bullet hadn't pierced a major artery or organ? She doubted was the one constant in her life, how could he leave her now? After his promises of non-betrayal how could he do this too her? It just seemed so unfair, and the questions spun in her head without approaching any real answers.

What was she supposed to say if he was alive? Was she supposed to thank him for taking a bullet meant for her? How could she just approach him and be thankful that he wasn't gone? How could she do that without showing her true emotions? Granted, she wasn't an emotional person at all to say the least. But in the past hour, twenty-two minutes and 15 seconds she had cried more than she ever thought a human being was possible.

An arm slipped around her as she sat cradling her head in her hands, and the sheer intensity of the night didn't even supply her with enough energy to look up. The comfort being provided to her now would no doubt push her over the edge and her tears began to flow. The only doubts in her mind now was how she was going to make it through to see the next morning.

Every inch it seemed, of her body ached. Her eyes ached for rest and her nerves for reassurance. Things were not going how they were supposed too. All because one woman, one stupid woman and her jealously and her gun had ruined their night of fun. Knowing how cold hearted it was, she was happy that the bullet from her partners gun had gone through the crazy woman's neck. But with the ringing of that bullet being fired from the gun , she knew that nothing would stop her now from protecting him. Making sure he never left her.

**Change the colors of the sky. And open up to The ways you made me feel alive,  
The ways I loved you. For all the things that never died,  
To make it through the night, Love will find you.**

From where she sat the morning colors of the sky could be seen through a window on the far side of the hallway of the hospital. Nurses, doctors and patients found the colors more enlightening than she did; and looking over at her now sleeping friend she felt nothing but guilt. It should be her there in that bed, dying instead of him. Dying, that's what made her so angry, no one had visited her in hours, no one had given her an update on his progress. She stood, glancing around, searching for any sign of someone who could help.

Soon she found herself at the nurses station, her blood stained hands resting on the counter top. Her droopy eyes watching as one of the nurses presumably named "Shelia" gabbled on the phone. Seconds had passed before she noticed her presence and she quickly placed the phone back on it's receiver.

"I'd like an update on Agent Booth's progress." She said bluntly.

"I'm sorry, are you family?" Shelia smiled graciously.

"No. I'm his partner, I work with the FBI." She said, not a strain in her voice.

Nothing indicated that right there and then all she wanted to do was go home, take a shower, eat a meal and crawl into a corner and cry for hours. But with her hands resting on the countertop still she found it of a sort of balance for herself, and she glared intensely at the petite nurse.

"Oh, I'm very sorry Agent…"

"Dr, actually. I'm Dr. Temperance Brennan." She stated clinically.

The nurse slipped open the folder and scanned the pages quickly, flipping some over, turning some and looked up at the woman. Sheila's green eyes met the woman's blue eyes, and she smiled closing the folder.

"It looks like his surgery went through just fine." With that the nurse was gone, forcing Temperance to return to her seat, the hard blue plastic chair now looking like an evil back killing monster that was ready to make her chiropractor work double time.

Her mind raced with thoughts once again as she turned to find a sleeping Angela. All the rest had gone home, but she decided to stay. 'If Bren is staying then I'm staying.' She remembered hearing Angela's devastated tone report to her colleagues.

How had a night of such frivolity turned into such tragedy? He had always told her, even taught her to live a little. To feel a little more alive instead of feeling as if her only purpose in life was to speak for the dead. Was this it? Was this his idea of living? Sitting in a hospital, worrying about the one you love? He had made it through the night sure, but 'night' had only been about two hours ago. There was still so much time that something could happen.

Her hands found her forehead again as she contemplated the raging emotions inside of her body. Her head said that this happens all the time, and that people come and people go. Her heart said that this was him, and he had promised to never leave her.

She loved him, more than she cared to admit or even think about. Knowing that she was the last person who needed or deserved to have such a love in her life. Such a love that she could never really confess to anyone. Not even him. How had this type of love found her anyway?

**What about now? What about today?  
What if you're making me all that I was meant to be?  
What if our love never went away?  
What if it's lost behind words we could never find?  
Baby, before it's too late, What about now?**

The question was absorbed and replaced by her mind. Questions of what if's. Questions that she hated to think about, but needed to.

Why had she waited so long to figure out everything? She silently punished herself as she turned over her bloodstained hands and slowly moved her fingers through the air.

Always the one to think things through, that was Temperance Brennan. Never taking a chance unless she had concrete proof first that something was coming out of it for her. Never relying on anything but logic. However, this had hit her like a ton of bricks, a ton of bricks that she was unable to lift off of herself with out his help.

But there was no proof that he felt the same way, no proof that he loved her. At least if there was something then she couldn't see it. There was no doubt in her mind that he didn't complete her, in every way possible. She knew that this love wasn't going away anytime soon, and he wasn't just a fling. Love, pure true love had been set in her heart. As silly as that sounded. But she couldn't tell him, he was too busy dying. Because of her.

So, when would she get the time?

**The sun is breaking in your eyes To start a new day.  
This broken heart can still survive With a touch of your grace.  
Shadows fade into the light.  
I am by your side, Where love will find you.**

An oversized man approached her quietly as to not wake the sleeping woman next to her. His hands resting in the pockets of his white coat.

"Dr. Brennan?" He asked, as her head popped up.

"Yes. That's me." Clinical again. She really needed to work on the whole 'speaking-to-an-actual-human-being' aspect.

"Would you like to see your partner, his surgery went through quite nicely, only a few complications arose. We are watching him closely." The doctor stated while nodding.

Her knees felt like Jello as she rose from her plastic blue chair of hell and followed. The hallway smelled of lemon and pine, common household cleaning items and she took a deep breath as she rounded a corner to find herself facing a door. Room 265 on the Intensive care unit. She'd never forget this room, as much as she wanted to. However the small black numbers burned in her mind.

Two hours, fifty five minutes and 12 seconds had passed since he was rushed into the emergency room. Each second shown on her face as she stepped up to the side of the hospital bed. The familiar beeping of the machine was the only thing that could be heard in the room as the new day's sunshine shown through the window. The breaking of her heart was heard even more as it pounded through her ears loudly. Sending everything else into an echo, as she grasped his hand.

With her free hand she pulled up a chair as the doctor began his well rehearsed speech on how his patient was doing.

The speech wasn't heard by her, for all of her attention was focused on the man in front of her. He had once again endangered himself to make sure she was ok. Didn't he ever get tired of playing the hero? The doctor left at once promising to return again, and she turned her attention towards him.

"Booth…can you hear me, It's Temperance." Her voice said with a shake.

At once, almost as if it was planned the beeping of the heart monitor increased slightly. She knew that he knew she was there, in that room. That's all that mattered to her.

"Don't worry." She whispered. "I'm not leaving."

**What about now? What about today?  
What if you're making me all that I was meant to be?  
What if our love had never went away?  
What if it's lost behind words we could never find?**

Minutes had passed of her fighting with herself. She had promised to stay there with him, but now that his outlook seemed to be good, what was she going to say when he woke up? He knew she was there so it wasn't as if she could lie to him. Maybe Angela who was probably still sleeping could corroborate her story. No, she wasn't foolish and she wasn't a liar. He would know automatically.

But still, another thought from her heart was sent to her brain. Maybe this was a sign from his invisible God, something that was supposed to tell her that life is short and you should seize every moment. Man had she been listening to him a little too much!

But another telegram from her heart was sent to her head that maybe he wouldn't turn her down like she thought he would. Perhaps he felt the same way, he only had no idea how to express it either.

He had taught her all that she needed to know, how to talk to suspects, how to live life a little and even how to open up to others. But the one thing he had forgotten to teach her was how to express her feelings. Sure he encouraged her to cry at sad parts in movies, and laugh when Hodgins or Zack tripped and fell. But he had never taught her how to hug someone and tell them you loved them. Or hold a hand and tell someone through their eyes. She learned best through his teaching, but she was afraid that this was one thing she was going to fail at.

**Now that we're here, Now that we've come this far, Just hold on.  
There is nothing to fear, For I am right beside you.  
For all my life, I am yours.**

More minutes passed and the beeping on his machine increased to match the pumping in her ears. Soon the beeping increased so much that she was rushing to the door and screaming for the nurses, doctors, or anyone to come and fix her broken partner.

She stood vigilant with a hand clasped over her mouth in fear of vomiting as she watched the trained professionals try to save her best friend. Chaos erupting in the small room as women grabbed machinery and doctors checked vitals.

There was nothing she could do except stand back and watch as CPR was applied, and glared as the electro pads shocked through his chest forcing him to rise inches off the bed. Anger raged inside of her. She was losing him, and no one was going to stand for that. Certainly not her, the next moment she found herself leaning over his bed, screaming at him.

"Booth! Booth, just hold on! Stay with me! Please!" She said as tears choked her, strangling her from the inside.

"I'm not leaving you, so please don't leave me!" She cried out again. Only to find one of the nurses, Shelia grabbing her by the shoulder pushing her back.

"Stay back!" Shelia exclaimed holding a needle.

Fear gripped Temperance as the action of seeing him die in front of her, knowing there wasn't one thing she could do. Soon she found more hands gripping her as they led her outside of the room. Now the only thing separating her from her partner was a solid window.

Time was an evil thing. It sped quickly through the most exciting times in life, and it slowed in the most excruciating. You can't take it back, and you can't speed it up. It's simply a waiting game, and that's what it was. She had found another seat after Angela had escorted her out accompanied by more nurses. So now she sat, shell-shocked as to the situation.

The same doctor as before opened the door, an unreadable look upon his face. Angela grasped her hand as if it were the only thing to cling on in the moment.

**What about now? What about today?**

**Baby, before it's too late, What about now?**

He dug his hands into his pockets and bowed his head. She swore that she could see a smile on his face, or was it a grimace. Her heart told her that a smile was plastered upon his face, but her head told her a different story. Every thought raced through her nerves as she heard her partners diagnoses. The rushing in her ears returned and her eyes welled up with tears.

It was an inconvenient time to tell him how she felt she knew that, but it had to be done. She wasn't leaving the hospital until she had spoken those words to him. And with the swelling pressure of her heart she needed to do it fast. She needed to get home, get what needed to be done. She needed to get out of there. But now, time had frozen, it had stopped her in her tracks and she wanted it to back up. Go hours before and say everything she needed to before she stepped on that stage and karaoke-d her heart out, hours before that crazy woman had brought a gun in intended to endanger her life, hours before the sentence that the doctor spoke just now forcing her world around her to spin. The words still burning in her mind, as if she had imagined them.

"I'm sorry Dr. Brennan, he's gone."

~End

Review, Oh PRETTY PLEASE?!!


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